


walk a little tightrope

by HearJessRoar



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, Flynn is a good friend, Gen, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, and her best friend is too asleep to explain anything, attempt at being comforting, emotional distress fallout, in which flynn discovers that the boys did not cross over
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 12:34:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30038775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HearJessRoar/pseuds/HearJessRoar
Summary: As her eyes adjust to the warm yellow light, Flynn drops her pepper spray.Because it’s them, it’sthem, those ghost boys who have completely stolen Julie’s heart lately, the boys who Flynn was absolutely sure had crossed over because they’d disappeared from the stage and Julie had claimed that she hadn’t seen them at all since the performance.But they’re here, and Flynn cansee them.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn & Julie Molina, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 23
Kudos: 200





	walk a little tightrope

Flynn doesn't hear from her that night, and that worries her deeply.

Julie _never_ forgets to text.

And she had been expecting a phone call, maybe a plea to come over, because she knows exactly how attached Julie is to those ghost boys and the fact she had to grin and bear it onstage while she lost them had to have taken its toll on her already hurting, bleeding heart and-

Flynn is worried, okay?

So she treks over early in the morning, while the sky is still weak and grey and cloudy, her pepper spray in one hand and her phone in the other. Her sneakers slap against the pavement, still wet with morning dew, and it makes the walk just the slightest bit slippery, enough that she can’t let her mind focus the way she wants because she has to pay attention to where she’s putting her feet, and that leaves no room in her head for what she wants to say to Julie when she gets there.

And when she gets there, she realizes that she really _really_ didn’t think this one through.

Because she can’t just waltz into the Molina house at six in the morning on a Sunday.

Well.

She _could_ , she has a key, but that’s impolite and she’s a little bit worried that Ray would be really mad at her if she tries it. She’s never seen him mad, but there’s always a possibility that sneaking into his house might be the tipping point.

But she knows where Julie keeps the spare key to the studio.

And it’s a way better idea than standing out here shivering on the front porch.

So she makes her way to the back, treads carefully down the stone walkway she knows practically by heart, and over to the studio.

The door is ajar.

She stops short, but only for a moment because when it comes to fight or flight, her brain always picks fight, so she grips her pepper spray just a little bit tighter as she approaches the door. Her first instinct is to throw the door all the way open, but she thinks that it’s probably a better idea to get the drop on whoever’s broken in, if anybody. 

She can see through the windows that the string lights are on, and she’s never heard of a burglar who uses the lights.

So it could just be Carlos, sneaking out early to use the studio bathroom again. He’s got a weird affinity for it.

And if it is Carlos, she really doesn’t want to go in making a racket and waving around her pepper spray like a mad woman. That’d be embarrassing, and Carlos would never let her live it down. She’d have to move states and change her name because with her luck she’d end up on his vlog as a Storytime: My Sister’s Best Friend Attacked Me! video. 

She gives the handle a tug, just enough to slip into the studio, because if she pulls it all the way open she’s worried that the squeak will give her away.

As her eyes adjust to the warm yellow light, Flynn drops her pepper spray.

Because it’s them, it’s _them_ , those ghost boys who have completely stolen Julie’s heart lately, the boys who Flynn was absolutely sure had crossed over because they’d disappeared from the stage and Julie had claimed that she hadn’t seen them at all since the performance.

But they’re here, and Flynn can _see them._

Julie is asleep on the couch, her head on Luke’s shoulder and _that’s new_ , since when can Julie touch them? Reggie’s on her other side, burrowed up to her like a cat, like he needs a hug so badly he can’t take it. And Alex is next to him, curled up with his feet on the couch and his face buried in his knees, his arms wrapped around his shins.

“Flynn’s here,” Reggie murmurs, probably to Luke. Luke goes to shake Julie awake, and Flynn realizes that they don’t know.

They don’t know she can see them.

“No, wait-” she says, stepping forward with her hands outstretched like she can stop him. Luke freezes, his hand inches from Julie’s arm. “Guys…” she can’t finish the sentence, and she’s surprised to find herself tearing up a little bit. She swallows, and tries again. “Are you guys okay?”

Alex peeks up at her from his arms. “...can you see us?”

Flynn nods, her head reeling as she approaches the couch.

Alex pulls his hood over his head and ducks back into his knees. “The afterlife has confusing rules,” he mutters petulantly.

And Flynn has to agree, because the last she’d known, she could only see them when they were playing, and talking to them had been tricky, and the last time she had checked, Julie would have fallen through Luke’s shoulder instead of being able to use him as a pillow, and she’s just really confused. So she does what she did when she first met them, and reaches out her hand.

Her fingers hit Luke’s suddenly very solid collarbone, and they both yelp, Flynn pulling back her hand like she’s been burned by him.

“What the-” she says, staring between him and her hand. Luke looks just as freaked out as she is, and Reggie sits up straight, his eyes wide.

He holds out his hand towards her, and without thinking about it, Flynn claps her palm against his. She and Reggie squeak. Flynn bounces up and down, not sure if she’s terrified or elated as she buries her face in her hands.

“What does that _mean?_ ” She asks, her voice coming out strained as she tries so hard to be quiet so she doesn’t wake up Julie. 

Alex, still hiding in his hoodie, grumbles again. “ _Confusing. Rules._ ” He repeats. And he’s such a far cry from the smiley guy who had made her feel better after Luke had messed with her while they sang Flying Solo, Flynn’s heart twists for him.

She gestures to Reggie to budge up a bit, and drops down between him and Alex.

“What’s wrong with you, pouty baby-AH!”

She had meant to pat him on the shoulder, but her hand goes right through. It gives her the same swooping, startling feeling in her stomach as walking up the stairs in the dark and missing one. 

Alex jolts, his head snapping up to stare at where her wrist has disappeared. Flynn yanks her hand back.

“ _Why?_ ” she says, drawing out the sound in despair.

Reggie’s leg is still pressed up against hers, but Alex is intangible.

What.

“I understand _nothing._ ” she says, scrubbing at her face. Alex snorts.

“Join the club,” he says. Reggie taps her arm.

“Don’t worry about him,” he says conspiratorially. “It’s not personal, he’s worried about his ghost boyfriend-”

“His _what-_ ”

“He’s not my _ghost boyfriend-_ ” Alex snaps indignantly.

“You _want_ him to be your ghost boyfriend.”

Julie stirs, mumbling in her sleep, and Luke shushes all of them.

Flynn has to admit, as much as she was against Julie’s crush, it’s very, very cute how obvious Luke is about his own feelings towards her best friend. She’d thought that maybe he’d been playing it up for the stage, their chemistry just part of the show for him, something to make the band stand out, but no, apparently not.

Luke reaches up to brush a strand of hair away from Julie’s face, and Flynn melts a little.

Fine. Julie wins. Her smitten-ness with the dead guy is valid.

And while she might not understand what exactly happened last night to make all of this possible, she has to admit she's a little bit thrilled by it, if not _seriously_ weirded out by the fact that she's got an intangible ghost on one side, and a solid one on the other.

Flynn has a feeling in her soul that the love she's always associated with Julie has come through for the boys, and she hopes that it's a sign of good things to come.

**Author's Note:**

> another old old old writing exercise i cleaned up a little bitty bit
> 
> i just really want flynn to be their friend too okay, and i love the idea that they're only tangible when they're in contact with julie
> 
> comminte? but quietly, don't wake up the jules she's been through so much emotional distress in 24 hours


End file.
